Let's face it: before Sundance actually kicked off, all predictions for who -- or what -- would break out or recommendations for whom to watch were mostly based on well-informed hunches (see our Fifteen Sundance Faces to Watch HERE). But, now that the festival is entering its final days, the dust is starting to settle and we have a better idea about which films and which actors will be on everyone's lips in 2013. And so far, it appears that one of those films is Fruitvale, starring Michael B. Jordan (who, incidentally, made it onto our own list). Here are five reasons why you need to check it out when it hits theaters. 1. Because, after an early purchase by the Weinstein Company, all bets are on this movie to be the star of Sundance. We expect Fruitvale to be taking home one or two festival awards by the end of the weekend.
2- The film is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old African American from the Bay area who was senselessly killed in a train station on New Years Day back in 2009. The gritty original clip was first put on YouTube after several witnesses recorded the incident, leading it to serve as a rallying cry against police brutality.
3. Director Ryan Coogler is one to watch. A first-time director, the 26-year-old football star almost became a scientist but found his true calling as a filmmaker. "Its a film I was born to make," he told us.
4. The cast. Led by actor Michael B Jordan -- potentially the next Denzel Washington or Liam Neeson of our generation with his onscreen gravitas -- the film also includes performances by Octavia Spencer (who plays Oscar's mother) and Melonie Diaz, who gives a standout performance as his girlfriend and the mother of his child.
5. Because the story of Oscar Grant cannot happen again in real life.
Above: Michael B. Jordan. Photo by Henny Garfunkel
